Harry Through the Looking Glass
by SiddaCullen
Summary: Hermione meets Harry on King's Cross on that fateful day and helps him get on to the platform, setting off a change of events that will change her life forever.


**A/N: I am not giving up on my other Harry Potter story, but this idea took hold and refused to let go! I hope you all enjoy!**

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 _Chapter One_

The eleven year old girl bustling between platforms at King's Cross on sunny September 1st could not remember having been more excited. This was the day she would _finally_ be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She'd been anxious to go ever since the old woman who'd introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall came to her house and explained the wizarding world to her and her parents.

Hermione Granger stole a glance behind her and watched with growing impatience that her parents lagged behind. "Hurry, Mum! I don't want to be late!"

"We're coming, sweetheart. Please slow down," she heard her father call after her.

Hermione tried to slow down, but the growing excitement would not be quelled. She was itching to board the train and change into her brand new Hogwarts robes. She wanted to feel like an official student, which was hard to do in her plain old t-shirt and jeans. She also wanted to take out her wand, but she knew better than to do that in the middle of a busy train station. If there was one thing about Professor McGonagall's speech that she remembered, it was the importance of keeping all traces of magic a secret from the Muggles, or non-magic people of the world.

She hated thinking of her parents as Muggles, but she supposed there wasn't another term to call them. She called one last time for them to please hurry then dashed off once she caught sight of platforms nine and ten. Professor McGonagall had been very specific in her instructions on how to get to Platform 9 and ¾. She had to walk between the barrier separating nine and ten. It was all good in theory, but seeing the solid brick structure in person made her realize just how much of a leap of faith she would be taking.

Her parents finally caught up with her a moment later, and they seemed to be thinking along the same lines as their daughter, because her mother said, "Are you sure that woman knew what she was talking about?"

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes, but knew she'd only get scolded. Instead she said, in a tone as patient as possible, "I just have to walk between the wall, and it will take me to the Hogwarts Express. How hard could it be?"

Her words did little to convince them. Hermione gathered herself and was about to move her trolley in a better position to make the running start, when a timid voice spoke from behind her, "Excuse me?"

She turned around and came face to face with a black haired boy with broken glasses. He was staring at her hopefully, and she was pleased when she discovered his trolley carried a snowy white owl. She remembered an owl was one of the animals Hogwarts permitted students to have.

"Hello! Are you going to Hogwarts too?" she asked before her parents had the chance to speak up.

The boy's nervous expression twisted into one of obvious relief. "Yes! I have my ticket, but no one told me how to get on to Platform 9 and ¾, so I was wondering whether you could help?"

"Of course! Professor McGonagall explained it all to me. All we have to do is walk between the wall here and it will take us directly to the train. Do you want to go first or should I?"

The boy raised an eyebrow, but finally shrugged as he tightened his grip on his trolley. "You can. You're closer."

"Okay."

"Now wait a minute, Hermione. Maybe your mother and I should go first. Just to make sure it's safe," her father interjected.

At his words a dawning horror came over Hermione. "Do you think it will work for you? Seeing as you're…you know…Muggles?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Her mother stepped in front of her, and with clasped hands, Mr. and Mrs. Granger disappeared on to the magical barrier.

"Wow! So it really works?" The boy was staring in wonder at the spot where her parents had been just moments ago.

"Guess so. Are you ready?"

Without waiting for an answer, Hermione hurried to follow what her parents had just done, unable to stop herself from closing her eyes as she did so. When she opened them she saw the magnificent scarlet steam engine with the words _Hogwarts Express_ written on them in elegant black.

She grinned as she joined her parents. She was about to hurry to the train when she remembered the boy.

Luckily he was right behind her and hurried to catch up with her.

After saying their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, with Hermione promising to write as often as she could, they boarded the train together. They passed a woman talking to four red haired boys and managed to find a relatively empty compartment. Its lone occupant was a stout looking boy holding a toad. He looked like he was trying hard not to throw up.

"Can we come in?" Hermione asked.

The boy nodded, looking nervous. Hermione and her companion stowed their things into the luggage rack and took their seats.

It wasn't until the train began moving a few minutes later that Hermione could stand the silence no longer and said, "So, what are your names? I'm Hermione Granger."

The nervous boy with the toad mumbled quietly, "Neville Longbottom."

When the black-haired boy who came on to the platform with Hermione introduced himself as Harry Potter, both Neville's and Hermione's eyes widened in recognition.

"Are you really?" Hermione asked, interrupting Neville, who had his mouth open and looked as though he'd been about to say something. "I've read all about you already. You're in at least three books! _Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts,_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century!_ I have them in my trunk if you ever want to have a look!"

Harry Potter's eyes widened considerably at these words, but he eventually nodded. Hermione beamed, hardly daring to believe that she'd managed to meet _the_ Harry Potter before she'd even arrived at Hogwarts!

"So…" piped up Neville, whose face had gone beet red as he faced Harry, "do you really have a…scar? You know, from when You –Know-Who…"

He seemed relieved when Harry nodded and pulled up his bangs so both Neville and Hermione could have a look at the unmistakable lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"Wow," Neville murmured, awestruck.

"I don't really remember it," Harry said, and Hermione was relieved that he wasn't too upset to talk about it. She'd been nervous about bringing the subject up. If it had been _her_ who had lost parents to the greatest dark wizard of all time, she didn't think she'd be too keen on talking about it.

"My aunt and uncle always told me I got the scar from a car crash," he went on.

"Wow, really? Didn't they want you to know?" Hermione couldn't help asking.

Harry shrugged and looked down at his lap. "They're Muggles, and they hate magic. I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid came and told me."

"Who's Hagrid?" Hermione asked at the same time Neville blurted out, "You didn't know you were a wizard?"

"Hagrid is the Gamekeeper at Hogwarts. And no, like I said, my aunt and uncle don't like anything they consider abnormal, so I didn't know I had any magic blood until about a month ago. They told me my parents died in a car crash," he went on. His voice had lowered significantly as he said this.

"I didn't know anything about Hogwarts or being a witch either," Hermione admitted. "Professor McGonagall came to my house and explained it all to my parents and I. Do you think its common, not ever knowing you're a witch or wizard until you get the letter?"

"Oh yeah," Neville piped up. "Loads of people don't know. Most of them are called 'Muggle-born.' It means you have magic blood but no one else in your family does."

"Are you Muggle-born, Neville?" Hermione asked kindly.

Neville shook his head. "No. The whole of my family have been witches and wizards for ages. My family actually thought for a while that I was a Squib. That's sort of the opposite of a Muggle-born," he explained after seeing the confused expressions on Harry and Hermione. "Being born to a magical family and having no magic yourself. But I finally showed signs of magic, and my great-uncle as so happy that he bought me my toad."

He held up the toad for his new friends to look at. Both Hermione and Harry nodded. Hermione hoped her face looked impressed.

Finally Neville put his toad back in his lap and they began to talk about the Hogwarts houses. "My gran is hoping I'll get Gryffindor like my parents, but I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff. I've never felt like I was particularly brave…" Neville trailed off, looking dejected.

"Yes, Gryffindor sounds like the best house!" Hermione exclaimed, unable to help herself. "I've read up on all the houses. Hufflepuff doesn't sound too bad, Neville. Even if you do end up there, your gran should be proud of you."

"Yeah. Anything will be better than Slytherin," Harry put in. Both Hermione and Neville turned to stare at his emphatic determination.

"Why?" Hermione had read all about Slytherin, and while it did have a reputation for turning out dark wizards, she honestly couldn't see where having ambition was a bad thing. She'd imagined what it would be like to be in Slytherin, and while she didn't actually think she would get that house, it did sound intriguing.

"It turns out dark wizards," Harry explained, voicing Hermione's previous thoughts. "Voldemort was a Slytherin."

Neville and Hermione winced at the name, but Harry didn't seem to notice.

"But I'm sure not all Slytherins are bad," Hermione reasoned. She was itching to take out one of her books that explained famous witches and wizards, and the houses they'd been in while at Hogwarts, but she didn't want to get it out of her trunk. She expected they would arrive soon.

"Most are," Neville put in. "A lot of You-Know-Who's supporters were Slytherins."

"What house do you think you'll be in, Harry?" Hermione asked, keen to get the topic off Slytherin house.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Gryffindor sounds all right. But I don't think I'd mind Ravenclaw either. I'll probably get Hufflepuff, though."

"Well, if we do, we can hang out together! Then maybe Gran wouldn't be so disappointed, seeing as you would be in Hufflepuff, too!"

The trio spent the rest of the ride discussing various aspects of the wizarding world they found most intriguing. Since Neville was the only one among them who'd grown up knowing he was a wizard, he was the one who did most of the talking.

Finally a voice filled the chatter of the train, telling everyone that they would be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes, and should get themselves ready.

Hermione left the compartment to change, leaving the boys inside. On her way she passed several compartments that were full of talking, laughing students. She suddenly found herself grateful that she'd found Neville and Harry, and therefore didn't have to worry about trying to find space in any of them.

Finally the train stopped. Hermione had returned to the compartment with her new friends, and none of them could suppress their grins of excitement as they hurried to exit the Hogwarts Express.

To Hermione's disappointment, the castle was not in view yet. She stood next to Harry and Neville, and all three of them craned their necks to try to get a view of their new school. A voice bellowed, "Firs' years this way! Firs' years over 'ere!"

They moved to join the group, and were met with the largest man Hermione had ever seen. Somewhere behind her exclaimed, "Whoa!" She turned around to find a tall red haired boy, whose jaw had dropped at the sight of the man.

Harry, however, didn't seem fazed by the man's size. To Hermione's surprise, he'd grinned and greeted the man like an old friend.

"How do you know him?" Hermione demanded, her voice coming off much ruder than she'd expected.

"He's Hagrid, the one who took me to Diagon Alley to buy all my school things," Harry explained.

"Wow. I had no idea he looked like _this_ ," Neville replied, his eyes roving over the giant gamekeeper.

Further conversation was halted as Hagrid explained that they'd be getting to the castle by boat. They'd be crossing the Great Lake by groups of four. Hermione, Harry, and Neville were joined in their boat by a blond girl in pigtails who'd introduced herself as Hannah Abbott.

After the introductions, no one felt like talking. It just didn't seem to be the time. Hogwarts Castle loomed over them, and Hermione spent the entire boat ride taking in the sight of it, still hardly daring to believe that this was to be her school for the next seven years. It felt like something out of a dream.

They disembarked after what felt like no time, and Hagrid led the way inside the castle. Everyone stared in silence. Though they'd only seen the entrance so far, Hermione figured if the rest of the castle was as grand as that, it would make for an interesting year.

All too soon the woman Hermione recognized as Professor McGonagall was leading them into the Great Hall. Hermione immediately recognized the ceiling that was bewitched to look like the night sky, which she eagerly told Harry, who nodded in amazement.

Professor McGonagall led them to the front of the hall, where they stood facing the rest of the students. They sat at four long tables, which Hermione understood to represent the four houses. They stood, waiting and watching as Professor McGonagall placed an old hat on top of a stool.

"When I say your name, you will come forth and place the hat on your head. After you have been Sorted into your House, you will sit at the appropriate table."

She waited until they'd all given affirmative nods, then called, "ABBOTT, HANNAH!"

The girl who'd joined Harry, Hermione, and Neville in their boat nervously stepped forth and sat on the stool. She'd worn the hat for not even a minute before the hat declared her a Hufflepuff.

Down the line they went. All too soon it was Hermione's turn. Her heart was racing about a mile a minute as she sat down and placed the hat on top of her head.

"Hmm," whispered a voice inside her head. Hermione started. "Well, this is difficult. So many qualities…I see quite a bit of ambition…But there's also an impressive desire for knowledge…And courage…So much courage…Where should I put you?"

Hermione didn't say anything, but thought about the conversation she'd had with her friends back on the train. How they didn't seem too keen on Slytherin, and how Gryffindor seemed to be the house they wanted most.

Somehow the hat seemed to know this, because it said, "Gryffindor appeals to you, I see. You would do well there. But Ravenclaw also seems to be a good fit. You would do well in Ravenclaw. But the courage I sense…Gryffindor would serve you well."

Hermione wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she thought she could sense the crowd's growing impatience. How long would she be given before the hat was taken off her head and Professor McGonagall declared her House for her?

"I think the answer is clear. Though both Houses would serve you well, it would be more prudent to put you in…GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word was announced to the entire Great Hall, which erupted into applause. Relieved, Hermione took off the hat and hurried to join the Gryffindor table. She shook hands with the older Gryffindors nearest her before turning to watch the rest of the Sorting.

Finally it was Neville's turn. His face paled as he stepped forth to put on the hat. He sat there for what felt like ages before the hat announced that he, too, would be a Gryffindor.

Pleased, Hermione beamed as Neville took a seat beside her. They sat through several more students, and then it was Harry's turn.

Hermione crossed her fingers as he placed the hat on his head. She barely registered the intrigued murmuring that had sprung up at the mention of his name.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat announced after a few minutes. Hermione joined her fellow house mates as they jumped to their feet and applauded their excitement that the famous Harry Potter would join them.

Hermione, Neville, and Harry all whispered their amazement that they'd all been placed in the same house, and Hermione barely registered the final two students that got placed. A boy named Ron Weasley became a Gryffindor, and tried to squeeze in to sit on Harry's other side, while Blaise Zabini became a Slytherin.

"This is going to be an excellent year!" Hermione couldn't help but exclaim after they'd nearly put themselves into a food coma after the feast. A boy who could only be Ron Weasley's brother due to the red hair immediately stood up and asked for the first years to follow them to their dormitory.

All too soon it was time for bed. Hermione bade Neville and Harry goodnight before turning to go into the girl's dormitory. She was immediately followed in by the two other female Gryffindor first years, who bombarded her with questions about Harry Potter.

"What's he like?"

"He seems so nice."

"How'd you become friends already?"

Hermione answered their questions well into the night, and by the time they finally got into bed, it was well past midnight. She fell into a peaceful sleep, dreaming about the classes she'd be starting the following day. It had easily been the best day of her life.


End file.
